Holy Roll
Karl is sitting having a coffee at the Holy Roll when Cheryl walks in. He smiles at her that she's having a pleasant day, he trusts! Cheryl just retorts coolly that she's finally seen the sale of her house and she has to go and see the estate agent. Karl asks what the final price was, but Cheryl tells her curtly that that's between her and the buyer. Karl muses:

KARL: I imagine they'll want to do the place over straight away. A bit of renovation... certainly a fresh coat of paint.

He then invites Cheryl to join him for a coffee, adding that they can stroll down to the office together. Cheryl frowns:

CHERYL: Excuse me?
KARL (smiles): Well, I'm certainly not going to finalise the deal unless *you're* there to sign the papers.
CHERYL (exclaims in shock): *You*?
KARL (nods): Mmm. And Susan. We thought it was time to expand our investments. I must say, we're very happy with our buy. You *could* say 'we're in the pink' about it!

Cheryl stands there looking horrified.

No. 24
Marlene is sitting at the kitchen table with Lolly when Cheryl comes in and sighs heavily. She asks Marlene what she's doing and Marlene explains that it's the roster for the pub. She adds that she knows Cheryl's not happy about having Jo as a partner, but at least it manages to cover all the shifts without running them all into the ground. Cheryl mutters:

CHERYL: Well, that's *one* thing, I suppose.
MARLENE (chuckles): I *knew* you'd be thrilled!
CHERYL (darkly): The only thing that would thrill *me* would be Karl Kennedy heading towards an open manhole!
MARLENE: Oh, so everything's *not* OK. You and Karl have been at each other for *ever*. It's always been something trivial.
CHERYL (exclaims): *Trivial*? The man bought my *house*!

She adds in horror that she's never seen a man gloat so much. The 'phone starts ringing suddenly and Cheryl picks it up. She listens as a police sergeant talks to her, and she tells him that she'll be right there. She then hangs up and tells Marlene that Darren's been arrested for shoplifting.

No. 28
Libby is working at the computer, muttering about her homework being difficult. She tells Karl that she can't understand some of the big words in her assignment. Karl assures her that he's always there to help, even when he gets mad at her. Libby takes the opportunity to tell him that he doesn't have to *love* Darren, but it would be really nice if he could *like* him just a little bit. Karl, however, retorts that Darren is trouble - and he's prejudiced against him because of concern for *her*. He then offers to promise to keep his thoughts to himself until Darren has had a chance to prove him wrong.

Police Station
In a small room at the police station, Darren is talking on a 'phone on one side of a glass panel, saying to Cheryl on the other side:

DARREN: And then he shoved the CDs into me and ran off, and the security guard turned around and there I was, standing there with the CDs and the alarm was going off.

Cheryl asks him why he didn't *say* something. Darren snaps that he *did* say something, but the security guard wouldn't believe him. He adds that he was being careful to do everything right by his parole; he doesn't want to go back inside. Cheryl tells him that they'll have to get him a solicitor. Darren cries that if they get a solicitor, they'll think he *did* it. He calms down and says he'll go in there, tell them what happened and hope that someone finally believes him. Cheryl says she's sure they will. Darren tells her that there's going to be a bail hearing first thing in the morning; he'll call and tell her how much it is - then they they just have to wait...

No. 24
Back at No. 24, Cheryl is telling Marlene that if Darren gets out in the morning, nobody need know about this, and then all she has to worry about is the bail being kept under $1,000, because the kitty's getting very low. There's suddenly a knock on the front door and Cheryl answers it to find Libby standing on the step. She asks her awkwardly what she can do for her. Libby explains that she wanted to tell Darren that her dad has agreed to back off and let him prove himself. Cheryl tells Libby quickly that Darren's out. Marlene, however, chips in that that Libby deserves to know the truth. Libby asks her what she means. Marlene explains what's happened. Libby stands there looking shocked.

No. 24
A few moments later, Libby is telling Cheryl that she wants to go and see him. Cheryl says she knows, but he's very upset and seeing Libby like this would just make him feel worse. Marlene adds that Cheryl's right: Darren has enough on his mind without worrying about *them*. Libby cries at Cheryl that she should have told her straight away. Cheryl retorts that she wanted to see if she could sort things out before she had to, because she doesn't want people jumping to conclusions. She adds that she really doesn't think they should be telling *anyone* about this - especially Malcolm: if Darren's ever going to get his life together again, that job is all he's got. She points out as well that they need to keep it from Karl: Darren's not got much chance of getting him on- side if he ever found out.

No. 24
The next morning, Marlene is cooking breakfast when there's a knock on the front door and she opens it to find Mal standing on the step. He asks brightly if Darren's ready. Marlene replies hesitantly that he's in bed - sick. Mal says he'll go and see him - but Marlene stops him, telling him that Darren just needs rest. Mal says he hopes he's right by tomorrow - and he'll call him tonight. With that, Marlene virtually pushes Mal out of the house! Cheryl joins her and sighs that they're *never* going to keep this quiet; she just wishes something would go *right* for the family...

No. 28
Susan is looking at some papers, sighing that she doesn't even know why she's bothering to apply with *her* résumé. Karl assures her that she'll make a damn fine Year 12 co- ordinator. He then asks her if he told her what Cheryl said. Susan mutters:

SUSAN: When you first told her we'd bought the house? When you told her your plans to redecorate? Or when you ran through the list of faults that the building inspection threw up?!

Karl accepts that he's mentioned it! He then asks if he told her that he and Libby came to an agreement over Darren yesterday. Susan comments that that sounds promising. Karl says:

KARL: I agreed to lay off for a while; give the boy a chance to prove himself - which I don't think he'll do...
SUSAN (pointedly): But we wouldn't want to pre- judge him, would we...?

Karl says he's just going to sit back and wait for things to go wrong! Libby joins them and says flatly that she's got to go. Susan asks her if she's OK. Libby mutters that things couldn't be better. She heads out, leaving Susan to ask Karl what all *that* was about.

Police Station
Marlene is talking to a Sergeant - Sergeant Richardson - saying to him that she remembers how kind he was to her when *she* was in there; she hopes he's giving her grandson the same treatment. The Sergeant retorts that he's being treated the same as everyone else. The two of them head through into a secure area as the Sergeant adds that Darren broke his parole and will be getting no favours. He tells Marlene that she's got ten minutes. In the room with Darren on the other side of a pane of glass, Marlene picks up the 'phone and tells Darren that it's good to see him.

Out in the main office, Libby walks into the station and tells Sergeant Richardson firmly that she'd like to see Darren. The Sergeant asks her who she is and she tells him that she's Libby Kennedy - his girlfriend. The Sergeant tells her that Darren's already got someone with him - his grandmother. Libby says she'll wait. The Sergeant tells her that he'd prefer she didn't. Libby asks if she can see him tonight. The Sergeant retorts that his shift will have finished by then, so she can ask someone else - and whoever it is, he hopes they're having a better day than *he* is. Libby stands there looking astonished.

No. 24
A while later, at No. 24, Libby is telling Cheryl that she didn't argue the point after a while. Cheryl tells her the bail hearing should be sometime this morning. Libby asks if that means they can go and see Darren him now, but Cheryl explains that she has to stay at home so that Darren can ring her the moment bail's set and she can run around, get the money, take it down there and get him out. Libby says excitedly:

LIBBY: So he could be getting out *today*?
CHERYL (nods): The moment I pay the bail.
LIBBY: Oh, I can't go to school while all *this* is happening!

The 'phone rings suddenly and Cheryl picks it up. She listens and then tells Darren to calm down and not get upset; they'll work something out. She listens again and tells Darren that none of this is his fault. She adds that she'll get there as soon as she can. She hangs up and Libby comments:

LIBBY: It's a lot, isn't it...?
CHERYL: They're going to remand him in custody until his trial. They're not going to let him out at *all*...

Erinsborough Hospital
A nurse is checking up on Helen as Philip sits with her and she mumbles that when she wakes up, she doesn't know where she is. Philip points out that Karl *said* this would happen for a while - but it should all come back to her. He adds that he could tell her about what's happening in *his* life, but everything's pretty dismal at the moment. Helen asks if it's writer's block, but Philip sighs that he's not even sure if should *call* himself a writer anymore. He explains that Roz hated his short story. Helen asks why, and Philip explains:

PHILIP: Let's just say it was hardly original...

Chez Chez
A while later, Philip sits down with Roz at a table at Chez Chez. She raises the subject of his romance novel outline, but Philip tells her:

PHILIP: My heart was in that short story. Anything you say now will pale in comparison. Hit me with it!
ROZ (sympathetically): I think that's the problem: your heart wasn't *in* this one.

Her mobile 'phone starts to ring. She answers it, has a conversation and then hangs up and tells Philip that she's terribly sorry but she's going to have to race back to the office - there's a bit of a crisis with the company finances. She adds:

ROZ: I don't suppose you'd be interested in some accounting work?!
PHILIP: Well, I'm busy trying to be a *writer* at the moment!

Roz heads out, leaving Philip sighing heavily.

No. 26
It's evening- time and Roz has turned up at No. 26. Philip asks her if things have calmed down, but she replies that they're terrible: their accountant's been sacked and they could be in breach of some serious regulations. Philip tells her that he's not going to add to her worries: he's got about as much talent as her ex- accountant. He adds that his heart's not in his writing anymore. Roz tells him that the best thing to do in cases like this is take a break for a while until he feels inspired again. Philip comments that he might make it a *permanent* break. He goes on:

PHILIP: The truth is I don't want to write anymore. My last novel was a real effort. You're just letting me off the hook.
ROZ: I *was* going to suggest that you submit it to another publishing company.

Philip shakes his head, though. Roz asks what he'll do for a living and he tells her that he's always got his finance background to rely on: he did a Commerce degree at uni and went on to manage a bank; it would be good to be a numbers man again - he might dabble in a bit of financial advising. Roz queries:

ROZ: You know finances very well?
PHILIP (nods): Yeah.
ROZ: Enough to throw your hat in the ring as our new Business and Marketing Manager?
PHILIP (looking surprised): You serious?
ROZ: We need help. The firm's finances are a complete shambles. The accountant we've had for the past year has lost us a fortune.
PHILIP (warily): Well, with Helen in hospital, it might not be a good time to take on something so big.
ROZ: It's quite common to work from home these days. What if we hooked up a fax and a modem for you?
PHILIP: Then I'd probably consider it.
ROZ (smiles): Good! I expect to receive your résumé in the morning!

Police Station
Cheryl and Libby walk into the police station and Cheryl asks to see Darren. However, Sergeant Richardson, who's still behind the desk, tells her that he's afraid she can't see Darren until tomorrow morning because he's only being held there until they make alternative arrangements in remand. Libby exclaims that they haven't let people see him *all day*. The Sergeant retorts that they're understaffed. Cheryl snaps:

CHERYL: Sorry - do I understand that I can't see my son because you're overworked? Could I see your name, please?
SERGEANT RICHARDSON (mutters): He's been nothing but trouble since he got here.

Cheryl takes a pen out of her handbag as Sergeant Richardson shows her his badge and goes on:

SERGEANT RICHARDSON: He's broken parole. I have a job to do, as set out by the courts, and I will *do* it.
CHERYL (retorts): And *I* have a right to see my son.

Libby suddenly runs under the lift- up section of the desk and tries to get through to the secure area, but Sergeant Richardson grabs her and tells her that he's already said that there's to be no visitors - and if either of them have a problem with that, they can make a complaint. Cheryl cries:

CHERYL: My son is being held in one of your cells for something he didn't do. He has no right to be treated like this.
SERGEANT RICHARDSON (sarcastically): Believe it or not, he's not the *first* person we've had here who has protested their innocence.

With that, he heads through to the secure area as Libby yells after him:

LIBBY: He's telling the truth. Why can't you just leave him alone?